FIRST REPORTED CASE OF NEWBORN MALE SACRIFICE-A CASE REPORT ON NARABALI

BackgroundThe custom of sacrificing human or animal life has persisted since the Stone Age. Although it is greatly despised in our culture and illegal according to the law of the land, numerous individuals still engage in this inhumane tradition to attain something or to eradicate all obstacles in their lives. Generally, incidents of human sacrifice are not typically reported or recorded because of the fear of religious beliefs and faith. However, such cases have been frequently reported in homicides. Methodology-In the present instance, the authors described a case in which the head and neck of a newborn male baby were severed at the level of the lower part of the neck. The results of the post-mortem examination, along with circumstantial evidence and the time of death, indicated that this was an exceptional case of human sacrifice involving the victim being a male newborn child. Result-This report highlights the severely extreme nature of superstitious beliefs that can drive individuals to commit murderous acts. It's not uncommon in our country for people to carry out these inhumane rituals in the name of religion to alleviate economic difficulties and other pressing circumstances. Conclusion-It is noteworthy as no prior instances have been documented in our country where a newborn male baby was sacrificed, making it a singular occurrence.


INTRODUCTION
Sacrifice originated from the Latin word" sacrificium, a combination of the words sacer and facere.Sacer means 'sacred' or 'holly,' and facere means "to make."Sacrificium means "to make sacred" Faherty R. (2019).Although most people no longer endorse or engage in animal or human sacrifice, these metaphors serve as potent reminders of the ancient customs of presenting animals or humans as offerings to deities and goddess.This custom was once nearly universal but has been completely eradicated in contemporary times.Human sacrifice, the most captivating and terrifying form of sacrifice, holds a unique place in the history of humanity Bremmer JN. (2007).Human sacrifice was already practiced during the Stone Age, and unsurprisingly, it occurs in one of our oldest surviving religious texts, the Indian Vedas Das D. (2017).Human sacrifice, including that of newborns, is a practice that has historically been documented in various cultures Danam G. (2018).In India, the practice of Yagya, a form of sacrifice, has been integral to its history and culture, particularly in ancient times Pathik P. (2019).On June 25, 2023, a news article published in the Times of India elaborated that the father had sacrificed his 8-year-old son from the state of Jharkhand.In the same state, another news article was published in Times of India on July 12, 2019; the police recovered the headless bodies of one boy and one girl.All these incidents were published as news articles but not scholarly case reports or research articles by Sahay S. (2023 & 2019).The scarcity of research and case reports on human sacrifice in India can be ascribed to the delicate interplay between cultural sensitivity and the evolving nature of ritual practice.In this particular incident, we examined a case in which a male newborn was subjected to decapitation as part of a ritualistic act of human sacrifice, an infrequent occurrence.

Case report
The dead body of a newborn male without a neck or head was brought to the mortuary for postmortem examination by the police.This case was registered under the concealment of birth in the 318 Indian Penal Code.The police mentioned in their requisition that the head and neck were absent because of animal bites, as they found the body to be abandoned near a bush in the prone position.On external examination, mud particles and dried leaves were present at places over the body, and a part of the umbilical cord measuring 29 cm was attached to the baby.No signs of maceration or decomposition were observed in the body.The torn end of the umbilical cord was red with an irregular margin, suggesting that the baby was alive and delivered non-institutionally (Figure 1).
The umbilicus was midway between the xiphisternum and pubis.The body weight was 2.2 kg; shoulder to heel length, 45 cm; chest circumference, 30 cm; testis palpable in the scrotum and rugosity in the scrotal sac (Figure 2).
On internal examination, the ossification center of the lower end of the femur, the upper end of the tibia, cuboid, talus, and calcaneus were present.All ossification centers of the sternum were noted during postmortem examination (Figure 3).Both lungs were red, and the margins were rounded, overlapping the heart.On exploration of the peritoneal cavity, the meconium was present throughout the descending colon (Figure 4).
The stomach contains 10 ml of reddish sticky fluid with congestion (Figure 5).
An oval-shaped chop wound measuring 4 cm in anteroposterior diameter and 7 cm in lateral diameter with a clear-cut margin at the level of the C-6 vertebra (Figure 6).The margins of the wound were red (Figure 7), and the cut end of the vertebra had a clear margin and was completely severed (Figure 8).The authors opined that the cause of death was decapitation due to the application of a heavy, sharp force.The age of the deceased was between eight and nine months of gestational age, with signs of live birth.To differentiate between a live or dead fetus, we opted to preserve a portion of each lobe of both lungs in a 10% formalin solution for histopathological examination.Histopathologically, it was reported that desquamated alveolar epithelium and eosinophilic to clear globules within the alveoli suggested meconium aspiration (Figure 9).This indicates that the fetus was born alive.Seven cervical vertebrae were preserved for DNA typing and matching.The team of autopsy surgeons indicated that the investigating agency must investigate any possibility of human sacrifice and ask them to gather any relevant information, which could help them to solve this case.

RESULTS
Based on these inputs, the police searched for nearby places and found an area behind an abandoned house, where dried bloodstains, vermilions, and blood-stained flowers were present.The dried bloodstain present at the suspected crime scene matched the sample preserved postmortem for DNA typing and matching.Finally, based on the postmortem report and circumstantial evidence, the investigative agency registered the case as a homicide.

DISCUSSION
The act of human sacrifice in ancient civilizations, including Mesoamerica, has been extensively documented and is commonly linked to celestial events (full moons or new moons) and mythical convictions.However, Mazariegos et al. did not mention a new moon in their discussion.Instead, they explored the ritual significance of burial related to the mythological birth of the sun and moon.This suggests that celestial bodies, such as the sun or moon, play a crucial role in determining the timing of certain ceremonies Gómez et Al.(2015).Magdel le Roux discusses the Rosh Hodesh/New Moon Ceremony in his research article titled 'African Light on The New Moon Ceremony,' which outlines the culture of sacrifice during this ritual Le Roux M. ( 2005).In the present case, the estimated time of death coincides with "A New Moon" night.An article by Jeffrey G Snodgrass revealed a custom among the Bhat communities of Rajasthan.Upon the birth of their sons but not their daughters, Bhats offer sacrificial gifts to the Hindu god Bhaironji.They sacrificed a goat, removed its stomach, sliced it open to create a gaping slit, and passed their crying newborn seven times through the dripping opening.This occurs over a three-to four-foot-deep hole dug into the ground, which Bhats calls a well (kund) where the goat's blood and entrails are thrown.The author believes that this ritual symbolizes child sacrifice Snodgrass JG. ( 2004).Cleaning or washing after a sacrifice can be considered ritual purification, a common element of many religious traditions for restoring or maintaining sanctity.The concept of purification is a common theme in Hindu rituals that aims to purify a person through certain practices involving water, kumkum (vermilion), and so on.Setyaningsih F. (2020).Here, the absence of any injury marks on the body except decapitation of the head and the absence of bloodstain on the body, along with the presence of vermilion in the crime scene, suggests human sacrifice.Clear-cut margins over the skin and vertebrae and signs of vital reactions suggest that a heavy, sharp force is applied in living individuals

CONCLUSION
The present instance illustrates a highly exceptional occurrence of male newborn sacrifice in the current era of a sophisticated civilization.It emphasizes the profoundly extreme character of superstitious convictions that can compel individuals to engage in homicidal acts.Performing these inhuman rituals in the name of religion to mitigate economic hardship and other challenging circumstances is common in our country.These rituals continue to persist among members of all significant religious communities globally, including Hindus, Muslims, and Christians, despite efforts from both within and outside religion to eradicate them.

RECOMMENDATION
Policymakers must implement stringent laws for human sacrifice.
Raise public awareness regarding these inhumane acts.

Statement & Declarations
Competing interest-Nil

Figure
Figure 1 Torn end of cord

Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 7
Figure 4 Presence of meconium in the intestine Büyük et al. (2012) & Kirby DB et al. (2001).DiMaio and DiMaio similarly described this as an incised wound over the skin, with an underlying completely severed bone, suggestive of a chopping motion by a heavy, sharp weapon Dimaio VJ. (2001).The wound presented here exhibits features similar to those discussed above.According to the textbook Forensic Pathology by Sir Bernard Knight, a fully respired lung typically presents as pink or mottled, exhibiting median borders overlapping the mediastinum and a portion of the pericardium with rounded edges Knight et al. (2016).The lung findings observed in this

Figure
Figure 9 Histopathology findings of both lung